| Christian Identification |
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| Written by David Charlton |
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Scripture Matthew 25:31-46 "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. 34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, `Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? 38 And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? 39 And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?' 40 And the King will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, `Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, `Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?' 45 Then he will answer them, `Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' 46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." Core Idea, Challenge & Summary Core Idea: During judgment, Jesus will identify us by our service and love towards the poor, weak, downcast and marginalized. Challenge: To challenge Christians to seek opportunities to love and serve the poor, weak, downcast and marginalized. Summary: There are two attributes of God that we must understand. They are: 1) God is a God of judgment and can not condone sin and 2) God is a God of love and offers mercy. These two attributes are not contradictory but complementary. What it means is that we will all be judged but not everyone will have their sins counted against them. Those who receive God’s free offer of forgiveness through faith in Jesus will only be judged on how good they are. (Jesus paid the penalty for our sins so we can freely receive God’s forgiveness) Those who have not received God’s forgiveness through faith in Jesus as Savior and Lord will have to answer for their sins. The imagery of the goats and sheep illustrates this (Matthew 25:31-46). When Jesus returns and commences judgment, He will divide all of humanity into two groups: the sheep and goats. The sheep are those who have repented of their sins and placed their trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord. The goats are those who have not repented and placed their trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Jesus identifies the sheep by their good works. He identifies them by how well they love and serve the poor, weak, downcast and marginalized. It makes sense that Jesus would identify them in this manner because they can’t be identified by the bad things they’ve done. Their sins have been forgiven. The goats, however, are a different story. They have not received God’s forgiveness. Jesus can identify them by the sins they committed. Which group do you want to belong to? If you want Jesus to identify you by the good you’ve done for the poor, weak, downcast & marginalized, then receive God’s forgiveness through faith in Jesus. Then allow God to change you and use you to serve the poor, weak, downcast and marginalized. Although we are not saved by good works, we are identified as followers of Jesus by the good works we do. This will be true when Jesus commences judgment but it’s also true in the here and now. People identify us as Christians not only by what we say but also by how well we love and serve the poor, weak, downcast and marginalized. Are you identified as a Christian?
The Sermon I. Introduction: I hate being evaluated or judged A. Like many people, I hate it when I’m evaluated or judged.
B. At U.S. Army Ranger School I was evaluated/judged
C. If you’re like me and don’t like to be judged, I have some really bad news.
D. There’s also, however, some really Good news
II. This is depicted in Matthew 25:31-46. A. Jesus is describing his imminent return and impending judgment. B. When Jesus comes back, He will judge everyone
III. During judgment, Jesus will identify each group by either their good or bad works A. The sheep will be identified by how well they serve & love the poor, weak,
downcast and marginalized.
B. The goats will be identified by their bad deeds (sins)
C. Which group do you want to belong to?
IV. We are identified as Christians by our good works A. Although we are not saved by good works, we are identified as followers of Jesus
by the good works we do.
B. We are identified as Christians when we…
V. Questions to ponder A. Are you a sheep? Have you received God’s forgiveness through faith in Jesus? B. If you are a sheep, what are you doing to identify yourself as a sheep? |
